Ayrshire Scotland Business News is provided by the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire. We publicise our members, and celebrate and report the wealth and rich diversity of entrepreneurial and business excellence that abounds here in Ayrshire, south-west Scotland. For further information e-mail Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle

Friday, 29 May 2015

Kincaidston Primary School celebrates modernisation

The children of Kincaidston Primary School enthralled guests with an evening of musical entertainment to mark the completion of the school’s new £2.5 million refurbishment programme, which has increased space in the school and enhanced it.

The completion of the work, which has transformed the school into a place fit to meet educational needs of the 21st century, marks another important chapter in the history of the school, which has 184 children.

After unveiling a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion, Councillor Margaret Toner, Lifelong Learning Portfolio Holder said: “When you step into Kincaidston Primary School you enter a bright, light, colourful building, which provides the ideal environment to deliver modern learning and teaching. There is a real community spirit about the school with children enthusiastic about their learning.

“Children are our future and we must give them the best education possible. The investment in this school demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that children and staff are inspired by their surroundings and that school is a positive experience for all children.”

After the official opening of the newly refurbished school by Councillor Margaret Toner the Reverend Liz Crumlish, School Chaplain dedicated the school.

The guests then enjoyed musical entertainment with ‘A Journey Through The Decades’, with a performance by the school choir who sang We Like Joyful Music and various primary classes who sang Bye Bye Baby, Don’t Stop Believin’, Circle of Life, I Gotta Feeling and Happy.

The Council worked with architects, children, parents and the community to ensure that the work met the needs of the school.

The school building has undergone a transformation which includes many outstanding features such as:

• Classrooms modernised to a very high standard.

• 21st century ICT resources.

• New kitchen area.

• New STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) room.

• Open learning areas upgraded and new furniture introduced which offers a wide range of learning experiences for the children.

• The nursery classes transformed to create pleasant and fun places for the very young children to enjoy their learning.

Ian Sturgeon, Head Teacher at the school said: “I would like to express my thanks to children, parents and carers, staff and the local community for the patience, support and co-operation during the modernisation programme.

“Thanks to the significant investment by South Ayrshire Council, we have a school that meets modern teaching requirements and inspires children to learn.

“Kincaidston Primary is a school we should all be proud of and will continue to play a significant role in the Kincaidston community for many years to come.”

THE EDITORThe Editor of Ayrshire Scotland Business News is Murdoch MacDonald, a graduate of Magdalene College, Cambridge University, where his journalistic contemporaries included John Simpson, now World Affairs Editor with the BBC, and Alan Rusbridger, Editor of the Guardian. Murdoch MacDonald has been in the public relations industry and a freelance journalist and broadcaster for more than 35 years.He has handled the PR accounts of many top Scottish companies, including Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Life, John Menzies, Kwik-Fit and Barratt Homes.

He has hosted his own family finance programmes - "£s, Pence and Sense" on Radio Forth and "Moneywise" on Scottish Television.He now runs Ayrshire’s top PR consultancy Fame Publicity Services.

Wherever you are in the world, no other public relations consultancy, PR firm or publicity company can offer you a better or more cost-effective worldwide news distribution service, combined with search engine optimisation techniques that will drive customers and qualified sales leads to your company's website.

Murdoch MacDonald is also managing director of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire.Telephone: 01292 281498E-mail: Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

Murdoch and his wife Lilian (pictured above) have written a book called "Phoenix in a Bottle", describing how they overcame alcoholism and are now, contrary to conventional wisdom, able to drink alcohol responsibly again. "Phoenix in a Bottle" is published by Melrose Books price £16.99 and is now available worldwide.Reviewing the book, eminent American addiction expert Dr Stanton Peele PhD commented:

“Phoenix in a Bottle is a modern version of The Days of Wine and Roses, and tells the true story of how two people who entered a period of desperate drinking stayed with one another in a close loving relationship, and emerged from their alcoholism able to drink responsibly again.

“Both a wonderful love story and a challenge to conventional wisdom about how people can recover from drinking problems, Phoenix in a Bottle gives people hope, and helps them to confront their own demons - alcohol or otherwise.”

And now "Phoenix in a Bottle" has been selected as a set text by a top American university.

“Phoenix in a Bottle” by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald will now be required reading for all doctoral students in a psychology programme at Alliant International University in San Diego, California.

Alliant International University, headquartered in San Diego and San Francisco, California, was formed in 2001 by the merger of the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and the United States International University. Alliant has 6 campuses throughout California and also runs programmes in Mexico City, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant is one of the premier psychology schools in the US, and it counts roughly half the licensed clinical psychologists in California as its alumni.

Dr. Gary W. Lawson is Professor of Psychology at CSPP. He says: “I adopted Phoenix in a Bottle because the dilemma this couple struggled with and the questions they ask themselves are like so many others I have encountered in 35 years of clinical experience treating addictions.“However, nowhere in addiction literature have I seen these issues examined and explained as well as Lilian and Murdoch do in Phoenix in a Bottle.“I also recommend Phoenix in a Bottle to many of my patients as well.”

You can buy "Phoenix in a Bottle" by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald online now direct from Amazon UK (click on book cover image below).